January 24, 2013

Small Steps

It’s the time of year when I begin to cling to little things
in order to maintain my sanity and make it through the winter months in one
piece. You know, a late night FaceTime session with best friends, a
thought-provoking documentary, an unexpected package in the mail, the smell of
baking brownies, the shade of a new lipstick, or the quiet that settles over
everything when you’re spending quality time alone.

I’ve been using the Fitbit for about two weeks now. To be
honest, I purchased it on a whim because I had a gift card that was burning a
hole in my pocket. I spend most of my day sitting in front of a computer
at work, and I thought it might be a good way to track how often I move and
encourage me to get in 10,000 steps a day.

Though there have been times when I have neglected to
achieve my daily goal, overall, I’ve found that it’s relatively non-intrusive
and can—literally—push you to go the extra mile. Because it automatically syncs
with the computer to report on your progress, the commitment to the device is
merely the act of putting it on in the morning and taking it off at night. In
fact, I usually forget that I’m wearing it.

So, you can imagine my surprise and
delight when I received an email report letting me know that I’ve already
walked 50 miles! Though most of those steps were on the treadmill or out in the
cold, it almost seems like an exotic gypsy-esque accomplishment, and an occasion that’s
certainly made the list of things getting me through January.